Golf ball retriever

ABSTRACT

A device for retrieving an object such as a golf ball. The retriever comprises a handle, a stationary member or loop that is rigidly attached to the handle, a reactive member or loop that is pivotally attached to the stationary member and a spring for biasing the reactive member substantially perpendicular to the stationary member. A locking clip is attached to the stationary member and is rotatable between a locking position and an unlocking position. In the locking position, the clip restrains the reactive member in a position substantially parallel to the stationary member so that the retriever can be stored without the reactive member rotating into the perpendicular position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/160,118, filed Jan. 21, 2014, and entitled “GOLF BALL RETRIEVER”,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fullyset forth below.

BACKGROUND

Golf ball retrievers are commonly used to recover small objects (e.g.,golf balls) that are difficult to otherwise reach. For example, when agolf ball is directed into a body of water (e.g., a pond or lake), agolf ball retriever may be used to reach into the water and recover thegolf ball. Existing designs, such as the golf ball retriever disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,926, which is hereby incorporated by reference,provide a telescoping handle that is compact when not in use andextendable to the desired length during use. The distal end of thetelescoping handle includes two circular members—a reactive member and astationary member—that are connected via pivot pins and move relative toone another via a spring. Initially, the reactive member and thestationary member are aligned in parallel. When the spring contacts agolf ball, it causes the reactive member to rotate relative to thestationary member, thereby surrounding the golf ball between the twomembers.

While helpful in recovering golf balls, existing golf ball retrieverdesigns may be limited. For instance, the connection between thereactive member and the spring is known to break and the pivot pins onwhich the reactive member rotates create a binding joint. Accordingly,there is a need for improved devices and methods to address the abovementioned deficiencies. Embodiments of the present disclosure aredirected to these and other considerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, a golf ball retriever may comprise a handle, astationary member that is rigidly attached to the handle, a reactivemember that is pivotally attached to the stationary member, and abiasing member (e.g., a spring) for biasing the reactive membersubstantially perpendicular to the stationary member. The retriever mayalso have a clip for locking the reactive member in a plane co-extensivewith said stationary member for storage thereof. In some embodiments,the biasing member may be a spring positioned inside the reactive memberand coupled between a point on the reactive member and a point on thestationary member The clip may be pivotably attached to the stationarymember and pivotable between a position for locking the reactive memberinto a fixed planar alignment with the stationary member.

Prior to capturing the golf ball, the retriever may be set so that thestationary and reactive members are substantially parallel, i.e., themembers are aligned in a common plane. An operator may then release theclip and direct the retriever so that the spring contacts the golf ball.This may trip the spring and cause the reactive member to pivot into asubstantially perpendicular position with respect to the stationarymember—the golf ball being captured inside the stationary and reactivemembers. After using the retriever, the operator typically collapses thetelescoping handle, moves the clip into a locking position and placesthe retriever into a golf bag.

The disclosed golf ball retriever may address some limitations ofexisting designs. For instance, in some embodiments, the golf ballretriever may create a support for the spring that extends along an arcof the reactive member to both stiffen the member and to produce astronger support. Further, the pivot pins may be incorporated into thestationary member and have a larger diameter as well as a base to spacethe reactive member from the stationary member.

Another exemplary advantage of the disclosed golf ball retriever is thatthe clip locks the stationary and reactive members in a common plane sothat the retriever can be stored without the members rotating so as toprevent damage to the retriever when placed in a golf bag or otherstorage place.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the retriever of the prior art with atelescoping handle.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the ball retriever head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the ball retriever head of the presentinvention with the pivotable or reactive loop in a closed or lockedposition.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the ball retriever head of the presentinvention with the pivotable or reactive loop in an open or unlockedposition.

FIG. 4A is a top plan view of the head of FIG. 3 with the inner pivotingloop removed.

FIG. 5 is an edge view of the retriever head of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking clip of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the clip of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of the clip of FIG. 7 taken along the lineB-B.

FIG. 9 is an end plan view of the clip of FIG. 6 taken along the lineC-C of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one form of prior art device for retrievingobjects such as golf balls and is indicated generally by referencenumber 1. The retriever 1 generally comprises a handle 10, a stationaryloop or member 20, a reactive loop or member 40 and a coiled tensionspring 60 for biasing the reactive member to pivot into a preferablesubstantially perpendicular position with respect to the stationarymember. That portion of the retriever comprising the two loops 20 and 40and the spring 60 is generally referred to as the head 15. The retriever1 works equally well from either side 3 or 5. The handle 10 is atelescoping handle and loops 20 and 40 are preferably made of a lightweight, rigid plastic.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged drawing of the head 15. The stationary member 20is a loop having a top 22, a bottom 24 and two side portions 26 and 27.Bottom portion 24 of stationary loop 20 has tabs 28 and 29 which conformto the shape of and are rigidly attached to the end 17 of handle 10.

A pin 30 is used to rigidly secure stationary loop 20 to handle 10. Thisis done by forming holes in tabs 28 and 29 and handle end 17. Pin 30 isinserted through these holes and its ends are riveted or flattened tokeep it from falling out and to ensure that tabs 28 and 29 fit snuglyagainst handle 10.

Pivot pins 35 and 37 are inserted into the side portions 26 and 27 ofstationary loop 20 to facilitate the pivotal attachment of reactive loop40 within the stationary loop 20. Pivot pins 35 and 37 are spaced 180degrees apart.

Reactive loop 40 has a top 42, a bottom 44 and two side portions 46 and47 and is sized to fit inside stationary loop 20. Side portions 46 and47 have holes for receiving pivot pins 35 and 37 which pivotally attachreactive loop 40 to stationary loop 20. Holes 52 and 53 are provided inthe top portion 42 of reactive loop 40 for facilitating the attachmentof the end of a biasing spring 60 which serves to bias reactive loop 40into a perpendicular position with respect to stationary loop 20. Spring60 is a cylindrical helical spring with hooks 62 and 64 at each of itstwo ends 66 and 68. Hooks 62 and 64 are formed by bending the outerhelical loops of spring 60 perpendicular to the cylindrical spring. Oneend 66 of spring 60 is attached to the top portion 42 of reactive loop40 by passing hook 62 through holes 52 and 53. The other end 68 ofspring 60 is attached to handle 10 by looping hook 64 around pin 30.

To operate the retriever 1, reactive loop 40 is set substantiallyparallel to stationary loop 20 as shown in FIG. 2. In this set position,spring 60 is stretched and exerts a force on reactive loop 40. Becausespring 60 is substantially parallel to loops 20 and 40 when in this setposition, the force exerted by spring 60 on reactive loop 40 is met byan equal and opposite force exerted by pins 35 and 37. Thus, reactiveloop 40 remains in its set position inside the stationary loop 20.

A portion of the bottom portion 42 of reactive loop 40 is removed toform an opening to allow the loop 40 to rotate through the spring 60.The opening is sized to be less than the diameter of the spring so thatthere is some degree of binding as the loop 40 tries to rotate from theset position. The ends or jaws 56, 58 of the loop 40 defining theopening are notched to accommodate spring 60 when in the set position.Therefore, jaws 56 and 58 frictionally engage spring 60 in the setposition. This frictional contact helps prevent the retriever 1 frominadvertently triggering while an operator is directing the retrievertowards the object. The frictional engagement does not substantiallyinhibit the object from dislodging or triggering spring 60 to rotate thereactive loop 40 inside the stationary loop 20.

When an object contacts and pushes against spring 60, spring 60 andreactive loop 40 pivot slightly out of parallel with stationary loop 20.Top portion 42 of loop 40 rotates away from the object and this resultsin a misalignment of forces exerted on reactive loop 40 by spring 60 andpins 35 and 37. The misalignment of forces creates a torque that causesthe top portion 42 of reactive loop 40 to rotationally accelerate towardspring 60 which rapidly returns to its relaxed position, and therebycapture the object to be retrieved.

The retriever head design of FIGS. 1 and 2 suffers from a number ofweaknesses and assembly issues. For example, the stationary loop oftenbreaks at the connection between the stationary loop and the retrieverhandle. Further, the spring connection to the reactive loop distorts theloop causing it to bind and has been the source of breakage. Stillfurther, the use of rivet type pins at the pivot point between the twoloop causes binding of the loops. Moreover, many complaints have beenexperienced because of rotation of the reactive loop within thestationary loop when the retriever is being stored causing separation ofthe loops and even some breakage.

Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there are top plan view of an improvedretriever head 62 which may overcome some of the known deficiencies inthe prior art head. The head 62 may include an outer stationary loop 64and an inner pivoting reactive loop 66 along with a biasing spring 68.FIG. 3 is a view with the reactive loop 66 aligned in a plane of thestationary loop 64 while FIG. 4 is a view with the reactive loop 66rotated 90 degrees. FIG. 5 is an edge view of FIG. 1. The reactive loop66 may be molded with a support bracket 70 extending along an innersurface of the loop over an arcuate section of about sixty degrees. Ahole 69 may be formed in the bracket 70 for attachment of one end of thespring 68. The bracket 70 may distribute the force of the spring over abroad area and also provides support to minimize distortion of the loop66 due to tension of the spring. The opposite end of the spring 68 mayattach to the stationary loop 64 in a manner similar to that shown inFIG. 1, i.e., an end loop of the coiled spring wraps around a rivet 71that attaches the head 62 to the shaft handle 10 shown in FIG. 1. A pairof opposed guides 75 may be formed at the lower arc of loop 64 onopposite sides of the spring 68 to assist in aligning the loop 66 andprotecting the base of the spring.

The stationary loop 64 may be improved by the incorporation of anenclosed coupling or receptacle 72 for receiving the end of the handle10. In some embodiments, the coupling 72 may be a tube that isintegrally molded to the stationary loop 64 and sized to receive an endof the handle 10. The receptacle 72 may replace the tabs 28 and 29 shownin FIG. 1. Further, the receptacle 72 may be supported by a pair ofgussets 74 and 76. In one embodiment, the receptacle 72 has an outsidediameter of about ½ inch and the gussets have a thickness of about ⅛inch. In some embodiments, the handle 10 may take the form of the handleshown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,228. A pin 78 may be pressed through a hole80 extending through the receptacle or coupling 72 and an inserted endof the handle 10 to affix the handle to the retriever head. In oneembodiment, the stationary loop 64, receptacle 72 and gussets 74,76 maybe integrally molded of commercially available high-strength plasticmaterial. During the same molding, reactive loop support studs or pins82 and 84 may be formed along an inside surface of the stationary loopas best, seen in the view of FIG. 4A. The pins may be spaced apart 180degrees and at 90 degree displacement from the center of the receptacle72. Each pin 82, 84 may have a base 92 of about ¼ inch diameter andabout 1/16 inch in height. An upper portion 86 of each pin may functionas an axle for the reactive loop and is about 3/16 inch in height andabout 3/16 inch in diameter or about 4.75 mm. The upper portion 86 mayfit into a mating hole in the reactive loop 66 which hole has sufficientclearance to allow the reactive loop to pivot freely on the pins 82,84.The base 92 of each pin may space the reactive loop from the stationaryloop to prevent binding of the loops. For the above dimensions, theouter diameter of the stationary loop may be about 71 mm and its wallthickness may be between about 3.5 and 4 mm. The reactive loop 66 mayhave a nominal outer diameter of about 61 mm to fit between the pinbases 92, The depth of the stationary loop may be about 13.5 mm whilethe depth of the reactive loop may be about 12.5 mm or about 1 mm lessthan the depth of the stationary loop so that the stationary loopslightly protects the reactive loop.

An important feature of the disclosed golf ball retriever is the clip 94may pivotably attach to the stationary loop 64 at the gusset 74. Asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the clip 94 may be a U-shaped clip sized to litsnugly about the stationary loop 64 when in the locked or closedposition. The clip 94 pivots on a pin 96 extending from one side of theclip through the gusset 74. The pin 96 may be a spring pin, sometimescalled a rolled pin, that is compressed radially in a hole 98 in theclip and gusset. The characteristic tendency of the pin to expandradially keeps it tightly in the hole 98 and creates friction so thatthe clip has some resistance to pivoting. FIG. 4 shows the clip 94 inthe open or unlocked position so that the reactive loop 66 is free topivot within the stationary loop 64.

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective of the clip 94 and shows chamfered edges100 that are added for comfort around an external surface of a bottomsegment 102. An embossed or raised arrow 104 may be molded onto an outersurface of side 106 A of the clip to indicate the direction of rotationto unlock the retriever. A mating arrow 105 may be also molded onto anouter surface of the opposite side 106B of the clip as shown in FIG. 7.The hole 98 for the pin 96 may also be visible in this perspective viewin side 106A as is the beginning of a slot 108 in which the gusset 74sits. FIG. 7 is a exemplary plan view looking at the bottom segment 102at a slight angle such that the sides 106A and 106B are partiallyvisible and the beginning of slot 108 is still visible. The raisedarrows 104 may be visible on each side surface 106A and 106B. It canalso be seen that there is a slightly raised feature 110 on an insidesurface of side 106B. The feature 110 is shown more clearly in thecutaway view of FIG. 8 taken along the line B-B of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 alsoshows how the clip is aligned for the view of FIG. 7. Feature 110 mayprovide a slight step-up of about 0.2 mm to decrease the spacing betweenthe inner surfaces of sides 106A and 106B. As the clip 94 is pivoted orrotated into a locking position, the leading edges of the sides 106A and106B may slip easily over the stationary loop 64 until the leading edgeof the feature 110 engages the stationary loop at which point additionalforce is required to completely pivot the clip into the locking positionas shown in FIG. 3. The feature 110 may apply added pressure on thestationary loop 64 so that the clip is retained in the locking positionby the frictional reaction between the inner surface of the side 106Aand the raised feature 110 on the inner surface of the side 106B.

Considering FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, which is a plan view of an embodiment ofthe clip 94 taken from one end in the direction indicated by the lineC-C in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the slot 108 extends through theclip. The slot 108 may be defined by a pair of arcuately shaped elements112 on each side thereof. The arcuate shape may have approximately thesame radius of curvature at that of the outer circumference of thestationary loop 64 so that the elements 112 abut relatively smoothlyagainst the stationary loop when the clip is in a closed or lockedposition. It is noted that the pin 96 passes through the thickenedportion of the clip 94 at the hole 98. In some embodiments, the pin 96may be configured not to pass completely through the clip 94 so that thepin does not get inadvertently pushed out of the assembly. FIG. 8 showsthat the hole 98 in the clip 94 may terminate within one side portion ofone of the elements 112.

It will be understood that the disclosed golf ball retriever may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit orcentral characteristics thereof. The disclosed embodiments, therefore,are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details givenherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for retrieving an object comprising: ahandle; a stationary loop rigidly attached to the handle; a reactiveloop pivotally attached to the stationary loop, the reactive loopcomprising an annular ring and a support bracket, wherein the supportbracket extends an arc length of about 60 degrees along an inner surfaceof the annular ring; and a biasing member attachable to the supportbracket of the reactive loop, the biasing member being configured tobias the reactive loop substantially perpendicular to the stationaryloop, wherein each of the loops at least partially surrounds the objectwhen positioned substantially perpendicular to each other.
 2. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the reactive loop is positioned inside thestationary loop and is adapted to rotate relative thereto in response tothe biasing member.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the biasing memberis a spring.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the spring is acylindrical helical spring having a first end attachable to the supportbracket and a second end attachable to one or more of the handle and thestationary loop.
 5. The object retriever of claim 3, wherein the annularring is notched opposite the support bracket and the spring isconfigured to pass through the notch.
 6. The object retriever of claim 1further comprising a clip pivotably attached to the stationary loop andmoveable between first and second positions for latching and unlatchingthe reactive loop with respect to the stationary loop.
 7. An objectretriever comprising: a handle; an annular stationary loop fixedlyattachable to the handle; an annular reactive loop pivotally attachableto the stationary loop; a support bracket radially extending from aninner surface of the reactive loop; and a biasing member comprising afirst end and a second end, the first end being attachable to thesupport bracket and the second end being attachable to one or more ofthe stationary loop and the handle, wherein the biasing member isconfigured to direct the reactive loop away from a parallel orientationrelative to the stationary loop.
 8. The object retriever of claim 7,wherein the reactive loop is positioned within the stationary loop andis configured to rotate relative thereto in response to the biasingmember.
 9. The object retriever of claim 7, wherein the biasing memberis a spring.
 10. The object retriever of claim 9, wherein the spring isa cylindrical helical spring.
 11. The object retriever of claim 9,wherein the annular ring is notched opposite the support bracket and thespring is configured to pass through the notch.
 12. The object retrieverof claim 7, wherein the support bracket extends an arc length of about60 degrees along the inner surface of the annular ring.
 13. The objectretriever of claim 7, wherein the support bracket comprises at least oneaperture for attachably receiving the biasing member.
 14. The objectretriever of claim 7, wherein the stationary loop comprises a pair ofradially inwardly extending studs configured to mate with a pair ofapertures formed within the reactive loop and the support bracket. 15.The object retriever of claim 14, wherein the reactive loop, the supportbracket, and the radially inwardly extending studs integrally form amolded part.
 16. The object retriever of claim 7, further comprising twoor more spacers configured to separate the reactive loop from thestationary loop at one or more pivot points.
 17. The object retriever ofclaim 7 further comprising a clip pivotably attached to the stationaryloop and moveable between first and second positions for latching andunlatching the reactive loop with respect to the stationary loop.
 18. Anobject retriever comprising: a handle; a stationary loop attachable tothe handle; a dynamic loop pivotally attachable to the stationary loopat one or more pivot points; a support bracket extending an arc lengthof at least 60 degrees along an inner surface of the reactive loop; anda biasing member attachable to the support bracket, wherein the biasingmember is configured to direct the reactive loop away from a parallelorientation relative to the stationary loop.
 19. The object retriever ofclaim 18 further comprising two or more spacers configured to separatethe dynamic loop from the stationary loop at the one or more pivotpoints.
 20. The object retriever of claim 18 further comprising a clippivotably attached to the stationary loop and moveable between first andsecond positions for latching and unlatching the dynamic loop withrespect to the stationary loop.